✽007

Ju-wan first met Gyu-hyuk on a summer night at the Han River riverside park. A hulking figure was sitting there, staring tearfully at the dark water. Ju-wan approached him and spoke first.

“If you’re going to jump, just jump already. If not, stop blocking the way and get lost.”

At that, the enormous high schooler in a school uniform glared at him with wide eyes, then suddenly burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs. Ju-wan was caught off guard.

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“What the—why are you crying? Weren’t you about to die?”

“I—I’m not going to die! Waaahhh!”

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Then, clutching Ju-wan desperately, Gyu-hyuk started to pour out his story, his words muddled through his sobs. The gist of it was that he was a judo athlete aiming for a gold medal at the high school championships, but he had broken his ankle due to his coach’s misguided instructions. To make things worse, his alcoholic father had squandered all the hospital money on gambling and booze. Gyu-hyuk added that his dream was to make it to the national team, take his mother—who was beaten daily by his father—and move out, but now everything was ruined.

“Boohooo…!”

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Ju-wan, who had only come out for a walk, ended up listening to the grim life story of an 18-year-old he didn’t care to know. With an exasperated sigh, he said:

“So it’s about money? If that’s the issue, I’ll give you some, so stop coming here.”

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“…W-What? Really? You’re lying!”

“I’m not.”

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Ju-wan couldn’t help but chuckle now as he remembered Gyu-hyuk’s tear-and-snot-covered face from that day.

What Gyu-hyuk didn’t know was that Ju-wan didn’t watch dramas to study modern culture. He watched them because he enjoyed secretly projecting himself onto the protagonists. The sweet, cringey words and actions—the kind of things he might’ve done if he were a regular human….

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But he wasn’t shameless enough to confess this embarrassing truth to Gyu-hyuk, who treated him like a parent.

“Funny guy. Who’s worrying about whom?”

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After Ju-wan saved him from jumping into the river, Gyu-hyuk had started following him around like a devoted servant. Well, technically, it was after Ju-wan had “taken care of” his drunken father. In any case, Gyu-hyuk was the only human who, upon discovering Ju-wan’s true nature, hadn’t run away. Instead, he clung to him even more.

Ju-wan stared at his phone and the crumpled piece of paper for a moment before typing out a short message. Since he’d already decided to face the situation, there was no reason to delay it further.

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≪≪ Let’s do it, sex.

As if waiting for this, Shin Min-kyung’s reply came almost instantly.

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≫≫ 10 a.m. tomorrow, XX Hotel.

10 PM.

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Kang Ju-wan walked through the familiar hotel lobby, retrieved a room key from the reception desk, and examined the golden card in his hand. The room number was 1703.

It took him a moment to realize why this place felt so familiar—it was the same hotel he had visited with Seo-yeon about three weeks ago. Even the room number was the same. Just how far had Shin Min-kyung gone in his investigation of Ju-wan’s life? One thing was clear: the man was relentless, a truly obsessive character who wouldn’t stop until he saw things through to the end. Oddly enough, realizing this brought Ju-wan a strange sense of peace. At least he wouldn’t waste time hoping for mercy from someone so clearly unforgiving.

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The chime of the elevator rang, and the large doors slid open. Stepping inside, Ju-wan thought to himself: ‘That lunatic isn’t going to fall for some cheap act, so there’s no need to grovel.’ As he walked down the same hallway as before, he couldn’t help but smirk bitterly.

‘What a genius at making people uncomfortable.’

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Seriously, was getting dumped really worth all this trouble?

‘And how is that my fault? It’s not like I didn’t try to end it cleanly. Maybe he should blame his lack of charm instead.’

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Ju-wan casually swiped the card key, entered the empty room, and picked up the phone to order room service. Hotels like this felt like a second home to him by now.

“Uh, yes, room 1703. I’d like a bottle of red wine. The one at the very end of the menu, please.”

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Without even checking the label, he ordered the most expensive wine on the list, figuring it might help lighten the mood. Getting Shin Min-kyung drunk seemed like a strategic move—alcohol was always a good ally in seduction.

As a vampire, Ju-wan’s body was unique. While he could eat, drink, sweat, and even sleep like a human, none of it was truly necessary. These activities were more for leisure than survival. Vampires didn’t age, had far greater physical stamina than humans, and could recover quickly from serious injuries. On top of that, they possessed a special ability: the power to temporarily hypnotize others by locking eyes with them. Among vampires, this ability was called “enchantment,” making them seem like an evolved version of humans.

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However, to sustain their bodies and abilities, vampires needed to drink human blood regularly. Without it, they would suffer unbearable thirst, lose their rationality, and eventually spiral into violent madness. Ju-wan had seen other vampires succumb to this state in the past, turning into feral beasts that attacked humans indiscriminately. These frenzied vampires were often hunted down and killed by terrified villagers, usually by decapitation. It was then that Ju-wan learned vampires could die from having their heads severed.

The memory of those gruesome scenes was why Ju-wan always kept his fridge stocked with an overabundance of blood packs. Without realizing it, he brushed a cold hand over his neck.

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‘Let’s just get this over with.’

Old memories he rarely thought about were flooding back as he prepared to meet Shin Min-kyung. It seemed the anticipation of facing such an extraordinary madman was making him unusually nervous.

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Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Ju-wan shook off his thoughts and stood up abruptly, calling out, “Yes, one moment!”

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However, when he opened the door, it wasn’t the hotel staff holding a wine bottle. Instead, it was Shin Min-kyung, immaculately dressed, his hair slicked back with pomade, and his imposing figure looming in the doorway.

Shin Min-kyung looked at Ju-wan, who had rushed to greet him with an unexpectedly eager expression, and raised an eyebrow, clearly bemused. Ju-wan froze, startled.

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‘Why is he here so early?’

Up close, Shin Min-kyung’s broad chest looked as solid as a door. Ju-wan slowly tilted his head up to meet his gaze. Tonight, Shin was dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a slim black tie, looking every bit like an elite bodyguard. He looked down at Ju-wan and spoke.

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“You seem quite comfortable, even on your own.”

Without waiting for an invitation, Shin Min-kyung strode into the room and set a wine bottle and two glasses on the table.

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“I saw the staff heading to our room, so I took the liberty of grabbing this. Hope that’s okay.”

“Uh… yeah, sure.”

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“Not that it wouldn’t be, of course.”

There was something oddly natural about the way Shin Min-kyung spoke down to him. Of course, it wasn’t like their relationship was destined for cheerful, friendly banter, but Ju-wan couldn’t help feeling a little taken aback by the commanding attitude of this younger man.

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‘What the hell is this guy’s deal?’

The problem was, it suited him perfectly. Judging by appearance, he seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

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‘Is he some kind of CEO? Or maybe a third-generation chaebol?’

Since Ju-wan looked younger in appearance, getting angry here would only make things more awkward. On top of that, it was embarrassing to get caught red-handed using the pretense of lateness as an excuse to milk a bottle of wine. Left with nothing to say, Ju-wan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

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“…You’re here early.”

“I try to be punctual when I can. But I didn’t realize Kang Ju-wan was the type to set the mood so carefully before sex. Should I have lit some candles ahead of time?”

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The mix of informal and semi-formal speech, paired with his mocking tone, made Ju-wan’s brow twitch slightly. He sighed deeply and silently traced the Chinese character for “patience” in his mind.

“You really want to do this with me, right? You’re not planning to back out?”

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Feeling a little offended, Ju-wan spoke with a slightly brusque tone without realizing it. Shin Min-kyung, in contrast, smiled—a genuine, amused smile, unlike the forced one from the day before. It was the same look he had briefly shown when he kicked Ju-wan.

“Of course. From the moment I got your message, I’ve been waiting for this.”

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The outright suggestive comment made Ju-wan grimace.

“So, were you always into this? Then why were you planning to marry Seo-yeon noona?”

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At that, Shin Min-kyung, who had been fiddling with a lighter as if seriously considering lighting a candle, froze. He tilted his head slightly, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing, and turned to look at Ju-wan.

“What did you just say?”

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A heavy silence fell over the room. In that fleeting moment, Ju-wan realized he had crossed a line. But instead of coming up with something better, he fumbled ahead awkwardly.

“No, I mean, sorry about that. But if you think about it, yeah, I feel bad about Seo-yeon noona, but it’s not like I did it on purpose, and—honestly, from the way you’re acting now, it doesn’t feel like it’s entirely my fault….”

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“…Noona?”

The next moment, Shin Min-kyung let out a sharp laugh, almost a bark.

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“Pfft! Hahaha!”

Ju-wan blinked in confusion. What was so funny? He hadn’t cracked a joke.

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Shin Min-kyung doubled over, wiping tears from his eyes as he laughed uncontrollably. Clutching his stomach, he eventually managed to straighten up and, in a sudden shift to polite speech, asked:

“Kang Ju-wan. Just out of curiosity, how old are you?”

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The question caught Ju-wan off guard. Without thinking, he answered automatically, as if from muscle memory:

“Twenty-five.”

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Shin Min-kyung immediately shook his head in disbelief, cutting him off.

“Not your ‘business age.’”

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Ju-wan hesitated, momentarily debating whether to double down or give up. After rolling his eyes a couple of times, he finally said:

“…It’s true, though.”

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It was the age he had been when he became a vampire. Since his body had stopped aging at that point, it wasn’t exactly a lie. It’s not like he could say he was 180 years old, after all.